By: Nicole Kazmierczak, Caroline Schnabel, Casey Vangelov
When one envisions the beginning of the school year, images of pencils, books and school buses often come to mind. However, with the recent bus shortages around Western New York, the visions of teachers and students alike with regards to fun, educational activities like field trips become threatened.
In areas of Western New York such as Buffalo, there has been a shortage of bus drivers to transport children as they normally would. This bus shortage includes a shortage of bus aides, which concerns many families as in places such as the Buffalo Central School District. Bus aides help to prevent any incidents such as fights on a school bus, and this is as a result viewed as a serious issue which puts children and bus drivers at higher risk. The issue came into the conversation when reports surfaced of two alleged student assaults on Buffalo school buses. In school districts like the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District, the school board got creative trying to recruit new bus drivers. They called upon stay-at-home parents, retirees and members of the PTA to join as bus drivers or monitors. With all of these shortages around Western New York, one may wonder just how serious of an issue this is.
For students at Williamsville East, this is a huge inconvenience for field trips. In clubs like Model UN where students travel to local colleges like University at Buffalo and Canisius College, the trips are now being cut even shorter than before when visits were already cut short due to scheduling. This means less time doing what they enjoy and less time spent learning. It could also cost students more than just time, with some claiming that students will have to pay fees upwards of $60 just to go on field trips like Model UN conferences.
“Arriving late and departing early impairs the ability of students to compete and win awards at Model UN conferences,” Dr. Redmond stated. “It would also exclude students who cannot afford to pay the possibly high prices of bus transportation, creating yet another disadvantage for the students.” The bus shortage has a mass effect on students in this way, creating a disadvantage for those who would otherwise experience an enriching and exciting field trip.
It already has had an affect on other field trips like the Seneca Falls field trip. Mr. Huber’s AP Language and Composition class. Mrs. Fey-Daly’s Women’s History class, and some students from Dr. Redmond’s Human Rights class were all affected by the new cost of paying for a motor coach instead of a regular school bus. This field trip is extremely interesting and informative with regards to the history of women’s rights and its connections to Central New York. The field trip is on hold while teachers look for more funding and Mr. Huber hopes that he can get a cheaper school bus in the spring. Many students are disappointed at the thought of the field trip being cancelled.
This issue is not only in Western New York. School districts nationwide have recently struggled a lack of bus drivers. This issue is not new, however, as it can be seen starting a few years prior to this school year and gradually getting worse. The national shortage has been causing widespread panic for those who rely on bus transportation to get to school as well as creating a nuisance. Buses in places like Pittsburgh would pick up a student as late as 45 minutes after the scheduled pick-up time as recently as this past August.
The root of the problem is thought to be that there are not only strict job requirements for being a bus driver which is believed to be deterring new drivers, but a stereotype created around school buses that they are rowdy and unkempt. This seems to be contributing to the bus shortages around the country, and districts continue to hope for more bus drivers to sign up despite these reasons.
The best solution to this issue will likely be creating less strict requirements for becoming a licensed bus driver as well as what is being done in the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District where parents and retirees are being recruited.
Also, the district needs to look elsewhere for a charter company that has a larger fleet of buses to keep up with the demand of field trips many in the district enjoy.
One can only hope that these problems will be resolved so kids can continue to have reliable school transportation as well as inspiring visits on field trips which will spark knowledge in future generations.
